In a major setback to Green Shirts, Abbas Afridi has been excluded from the squad for the 3rd T20I against New Zealand due to discomfort from a low-grade abdominal wall muscle strain, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The third T20I match is set to take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in Dunedin.
The PCB said the fast bowler’s scan showed no sign of significant injury, and “he will be managed symptomatically”.
The cricket governing body said Abbas’ availability for the last two games will be made at a later stage.
His exclusion would be a big loss to the team as Afridi was the leading wicket-taker for the team along with Haris Rauf even though they have been in lost causes.
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 21 runs in the second Twenty20 international to take a 2-0 series lead.
The tourists threw away a strong position in their run chase after Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman scored half-centuries as they were dismissed for 173 in the final over, in response to New Zealand's 194-8.
Victory came at a cost for the Black Caps, whose captain Kane Williamson retired hurt with a hamstring injury while batting, placing him in doubt for the remainder of the five-match series.
The match bore similarities to New Zealand's 46-run win in the opening match in Auckland on Friday, with another aggressive batting approach led from the top by Finn Allen.
His 70 off 41 balls continued a run of form which the hard-hitting opener attributed to a change of approach.
The target looked within sight for Pakistan before Fakhar was bowled by Milne for a power-packed 50 off 25 balls in the 10th over, leaving Pakistan 97-3.
They struggled from that point, with only Babar looking a threat until he was caught off Ben Sears for 66.
Milne finished with 4-33, having earlier removed the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan lost both openers with just 10 runs on the board.
After the fight, Jones celebrates with US President-elect Donald Trump, shakes hands
PCB likely to appoint Javed ahead of upcoming series against Zimbabwe, say sources
Usmani defeats Turkmenistan's Suleyman Hudayberdiyev in final straight sets, conceding just one game
Starting today, tour will build excitement ahead of much-anticipated Champion's Trophy, set to take place in coming year
Spencer Johnson's five-wicket haul stops Pakistan batters' chase for 148-run target in second T20I
Bout between 27-year-old social media star, 58-year-old ex-pugilist was streamed live on Netflix